Fortune
by USxArthurxKirklandxUK
Summary: When at an import shop, Youko tries to get Kantarou to allow his tarot to be read. When he refuses vehemently, Youko and Haruka decide that they want to find out just why it is that their master hates these cards so much. KanxOC, slight HaruxKan


Fortune

Summary: When at an import shop, Youko tries to get Kantarou to allow his tarot to be read. When he refuses vehemently, Youko and Haruka decide that they want to find out just why it is that their master hates these cards so much. KanxOC, slight HaruxKan

A/N: I know next to nothing about Tarot… So most of this is from what I've heard. Also, this deck does not exist… Just pulled the cards out of my head as they came along. Also, the translation/exorcism spell Kantarou uses is taken from Tactics volume 4; yes, it is an actual spell. This is a _rough_ translation.

--------------

Youko ran a finger across the top of a deck of cards. They were brightly colored and beautifully illustrated. "What are these?" she asked the attendant, who was dusting a shelf nearby.

"Oh, those just arrived from Britain," the woman smiled. "They're Tarot cards. They're used to tell a person's fortune. They're becoming rather popular – that's my last deck."

Youko picked up the deck carefully, and rifled through them. "Hey, Haru," she stated, pulling on the tengu's sleeve. "Take a look at this. He looks just like you!"

Haruka glanced at the card. It showed an overly ornate painting of a black-haired male – that did, indeed, look oddly like him – holding a female with long hair, though her body and features were completely black. Underneath were the words "New Lover". Haruka stared at it for a few moments.

The woman smiled. "How about I read your fortune, ma'am?"

Youko nodded eagerly, and handed the deck to the woman. She shuffled the deck, and then asked Youko to cut it. She then fanned it, and told Youko to choose a card.

Youko pulled out a card, and looked at it. It showed a woman with a rather impish expression, her legs crossed, sitting on an ornate European-styled chair. Her dress parted up the leg in an almost immodest fashion. The woman also had canine-like ears, and a wolfish tail. Underneath, it had the words "The Vixen".

Youko stared at the card for a few moments before sighing, and handing it to her.

The woman looked at the card for a moment. "It symbolizes that you're a strong person, and not the type to be dominated," she smiled. "And that you shouldn't allow people to take advantage of you."

Youko sent a glare at her master, who was currently looking at incense in the back of the shop.

"Would you like to try?" the shopkeeper asked Haruka, folding the fanned cards.

Haruka scoffed, but waited as she shuffled the deck. He cut it for her, and then chose his card.

The picture was of a human – male or female, he couldn't tell – at a gravesite. They were draped over it, obviously grieving; they had oddly light hair, nearly white. "Grief" was written underneath. Haruka was holding it upside down.

The shopkeeper's lips pursed. "You will learn about a past grievance – whether it's your own or that of a friend's, I can't say… Maybe I should go into further detail about it. Pick a second card, please?"

Haruka chose a second card. This one was of a watch, stuck in the noon position. Around it were other clocks, all in the one o'-clock position. "It took place in the near past…" the woman continued. She prodded Haruka to take a third card, and he obeyed, thoroughly bored.

This one caught him off guard. Another "Lover" card, though this one was different – instead of the mysterious black-haired Lover, it was of two normal people. One was crying, and the other had a sad look. Between them was a sheet of glass, and their fingers were pressed against it, as if in an attempt to touch the other. "Lost Love" was underneath in the same ornate print as the other.

Youko peered at it. "Such a sad picture…" she said sadly.

The woman thought for a moment. "It's hard to make sense of this. A close friend of yours lost someone they cared deeply for, and it wasn't too long ago. That's all I can make of it. Does it make more sense to you?"

"No," Haruka stated, shaking his head. "Should it?"

The shopkeeper smiled again, and collected the cards from Haruka. "Would your friend like his fortune read, as well?"

Youko nodded once, and looked over her shoulder at Kantarou. "Kan-chan! Come here!"

Kantarou looked over, and idly waltzed over. "What is it, Youko-chan?" he questioned.

"Get your tarot read," Youko encouraged. "She's good at it!"

Kantarou's expression changed from its usual half-smile to a serious frown. "I'd rather not."

Youko blinked. "Eh? Why not?"

"I… don't believe in such things," Kantarou finished lamely. "Let's go, Youko."

"Kan-chan—"

"That's an order," he whispered sharply. Haruka raised an eyebrow. He'd never seen Kantarou act like that towards anyone – he may order them around sometimes, but never with such a tone.

Kantarou turned on his heel sharply, and left the shop faster than either of the youkai could believe; they followed their master, wondering just what had gotten into the small man.

--------------

"_So you'll take on our case?" the head of the family asked exuberantly._

"_Of course," Kantarou assured him. He may be young – only seventeen – but he had a feeling that he could handle this demon. And, possibly, it could lead to some sort of clue about the whereabouts of the Oni-Eating Tengu, and there was no way that he'd give that chance up._

_Kantarou's client began spouting thanks so fast, Kantarou couldn't even quite understand his speech._

"_Father, calm down," a voice laughed from the door. Kantarou turned to look at the newcomer with slight interest._

_The client's daughter was a pretty girl, maybe a year or so younger than Kantarou, though she was small for her age, obviously. She had long hair, pulled into a high ponytail with a satin ribbon, and dressed in the traditional kimono rather than the trendy western-style clothes that were coming into style lately. Kantarou had to respect that – it showed more originality._

"_Ah, yes. Ichinomiya-sensei, this is my daughter, Inori."_

"_It's a pleasure to meet you," Kantarou smiled, bowing his head slightly. He stood, stretching out his legs. They'd begun to cramp up from having to sit for so long as his client, the head of the Nakamura family, explained their situation to him. "I'll begin the exorcism right away. Where did you say that it's concentrated?"_

"_In my room," Inori admitted. "I'll take sensei there."_

_Kantarou followed after her without a second thought, already formulating a hypothesis about which type of demon he had on his hands._

_------------------_

_Inori opened the paper screen to her room, and stepped aside for Kantarou to enter._

_Kantarou couldn't feel a pain in his chest, and could tell from the aura of this room that it wasn't a demon. "What exactly have you been doing in there?" he asked, blinking in surprise. "Did you _kill_ someone or something?"_

"_What?" Inori asked, indignant. "Sensei, I find that offensive! I've done nothing wrong!"_

_Kantarou sighed, and entered the room. He instantly found the culprit. He chuckled quietly, and picked up a small stack of papers from a small writing table. "Ah. I see. You're interested in kokkuri?" he questioned, shaking the papers._

"_E-eh?" Inori turned a light pink. "I… I forgot to put those away… I'm sorry, sensei, for you to have to see—"_

"_It's good that I saw them," he corrected. "They're causing all these strange happening, Nakamura-san," he teased. "You're supposed to burn these, and burry the ashes at a shrine. Didn't you learn that with how to set up the circles?"_

"_No… my friend never said they had to be buried," she admitted, shrugging. "So all I have to do is burn them, right?"_

"_Well, the spirits are already attached. We'll have to get rid of these to keep more from coming, of course…"_

"_S-so there's nothing you can do?" she asked, gulping._

_Kantarou laughed. "Of course I can do something, Nakamura-san! Don't be silly! I wouldn't leave a young lady's room full of spirits, now, would I? That'd be just plain ungentlemanly of me."_

_Inori allowed a small smile to come to her face. "Thank you, sensei."_

_Kantarou built a fire in the home's courtyard. The kokkuri papers were covered in Inori's handwriting – he noticed that the question most often asked had been something along the lines of, "Will I find the person just for me", or "Will I find true love". He had to find Inori's innocence adorable._

_The papers were burned. Inori went off to burry them at a nearby shrine, and to pray. While she was gone on this quick errand, Kantarou took his time preparing for the blessing of Inori's room. He changed clothes, purified himself, and wrote up a few sutras. As he was finishing up the last one, Inori entered the room._

_He turned, slightly curious. "Nakamura-san? What are you doing here?"_

"_If it's alright with sensei, I'd like to watch," she smiled. "I always loved the supernatural. I'd love to watch a real exorcism!"_

_Kantarou's eyebrows furrowed, but he relented. "All right. Here." Kantarou handed her one of the sutras. "Don't let go of it. It'll protect you."_

_Inori looked down at the graceful calligraphy that adorned it, and nodded once._

_Kantarou took a breath, and so began his exorcism. Inori watched in fascination as Kantarou's usual innocent, adorable demeanor was replaced with one of complete sincerity, and of seriousness._

"_Naimaku sarabatata gyateibyaku… saraba bokkeigyaku sarabata… tarata senda makaroshada ken… ten ma ge dou kai bu sho! Shi ma san shou jou dou ra! Issou byou dou mu sha betsu!"_

("Pay homage to Buddha or begone, leave or be punished and purified, destroy, Oh Wrathful One, turn away and begone! Devils and the dark path, in everything is Buddha. The four devils and the three obstacles all come on Buddha's path. The world of the devils and the world of Buddha live according to the same principles. In all ways directly, without a difference.")

_Kantarou's hands moved swiftly from position to position; he was already used to the hand signs accompanying each word of the Kuji: "Rin! Pyou! Tou! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!"_

_The air around the room lightened, as if an invisible miasma had lifted. Inori looked around, her eyes sparkling. Kantarou looked as if he were glowing with some kind of power. She'd never seen anything – or anyone – like that. Kantarou's hands fell to his side, and he fell to his knees, breathing hard. He was covered in a light sweat._

"_Ichinomiya-sensei?" she breathed, moving closer._

He shot a smile over his shoulder. "I'm fine, Nakamura-san," he assured her. "Just a little tired, is all."

_Inori nodded once, and helped him get to his feet._

_As soon as Kantarou reached his room, he fell onto his futon and fell asleep._

_-----------------_

_Kantarou awoke the next morning to the scent of eggs. He sat up, running a hand through his hair. He was still in his ceremonial dress. He looked over at the door, and noticed a shape through the paper. He sat up. "Is anyone there?" he questioned._

_The door slid open, and Kantarou blinked as Inori smiled over at him from her position on the floor. "Sensei! I was wondering when you'd wake up. I brought some breakfast for you. I'm sure you're famished."_

_Kantarou smiled once, and gratefully accepted the food. As he ate, Inori stayed, and the two found themselves having their first, of many, friendly conversations._

_-----------------_

_Inori was extremely interested in the supernatural. And, quite adorably, she was extremely superstitious. Kantarou found it endearing. He fingered the small box, wondering if she'd enjoy it. She was turning seventeen today, and he had wanted to get her something._

_He just hoped that a deck of Tarot cards would do the trick… Why were women so hard to shop for, anyway?_

_He smiled to himself anyways, and let himself in through the front gate of her home. He got the attention of a passing maid, who let him in, and went to fetch Inori. Kantarou only had to wait a few moments before the girl was in the room, breathing hard after having sprinted from the other end of the house._

_Kantarou blinked in surprise, but laughed after a moment. Inori's hair was a mess, and she hadn't bothered to even take off her shoes. She'd been in the garden again._

_Inori turned a delicate pink. "That's cruel, Ichinomiya-sensei," she muttered, sitting down across from him. She set her shoes near the door._

"_I can't help it, Inori-san," he chuckled. "You just seemed overly excited. It's just me, that's all."_

_Inori's cheeks darkened. "That's still mean. You know I love it when you visit."_

_Kantarou burst out laughing. "Then maybe my visit can be your present."_

_Inori looked up. "Eh?"_

_Kantarou smiled, looking at her out of one eye, the other closed, in a playful expression. "I know it's Inori-san's birthday today. So I went out and got her a gift."_

_Inori's face brightened. "Really, sensei? For me? You shouldn't have!"_

_Kantarou laughed quietly to himself, and handed her the small, silk-covered box. Inori opened the box delicately, as if it were a National Treasure._

_She exclaimed when she saw the cards. "Sensei! How did you know I wanted a deck?" she asked, looking up at him with the same excitement as a small child._

"_Let's just say I know you well enough," Kantarou shrugged, glad that he hadn't been off the mark._

"_Sensei, let's read your fortune!" she exclaimed, taking the cards out._

"_So you've done it before?" Kantarou questioned, moving closer._

_She turned red. "No, but… Er… it can't be too hard, can it?" she asked nervously._

_Kantarou laughed. "Here. I'll show you how; I'll do yours, and then you can do mine…"_

_--------------_

_Inori looked at her three cards: The Lover, New Beginnings, and Marriage. She traced the word "marriage" with her finger several times. Was this some kind of message? What were the cards telling her? To tell him of her feelings?_

_She turned pink. Tell him her feelings… That was nearly unthinkable. What if he laughed? If he rejected her? She valued his company too much to deal without it. She'd grown attached to him the past year that they'd known each other._

_She took a breath, and did another reading. Her next three cards: again, The Lover, Marriage, and this time, a new one: Honesty. If this wasn't a sign, she didn't know what was._

"_Inori, I'm coming in!" Kantarou called from the hallway. She swept the cards into her sleeve as Kantarou opened the screen, all smiles._

"_Kantarou!" she smiled jubilantly. "What brings you here?"_

"_I was in the area. I picked up a clue about the possible whereabouts of the Oni-Eating Tengu, so I thought I'd come and check it out. Since I was nearby, I decided to pay you a visit, as well."_

_Inori laughed, and then they began one of their normal conversations – about demons, spirits, and the supernatural. Along with plenty of teasing._

_--------------_

"_Kantarou?" Inori asked, not quite meeting his gaze._

"_Yes?" Kantarou asked, looking up from his sutras._

"_You're getting ready for another exorcism, right?" she questioned._

_He nodded. "Yes. A few houses down from here, there's been strange stuff going on at night. They asked me to come over first thing in the morning."_

"_I wanted to know… would you let me come along?" she questioned._

_Kantarou raised an eyebrow. "This isn't any small-fry demon… It's an oni…"_

"_I'd be good," she promised, clasping her hands in front of her. "Please, Kantarou? I want to see it…!"_

_Kantarou smiled gently, and reached out. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't want a person I care so much about to be in the way of danger. I want you to stick this one out, Inori."_

_Inori blinked. "Sensei, you've never had any problem with me watching you do exorcisms before…"_

_Kantarou sighed, and rested his head on a hand. "You won't let it go, will you, Inori?" He smiled softly. "All right. But if something goes wrong and I tell you to run, no ifs, ands, or buts. Don't worry about me – just do as I say."_

_Inori nodded, glaring at Kantarou. "So stubborn, sensei."_

"_Promise me, Inori."_

"_Fine. I promise," she stated, rolling her eyes._

"_Is it a crime to protect my important person?" Kantarou asked, smiling lightly._

_Inori flushed. "Your important person…?"_

"_It's you, silly," Kantarou pointed out._

"_Well, I got that, Kantarou… But…"_

"_I have to spell everything out for you," Kantarou teased. "Whether it's how to properly cut the paper for a sutra or a love confession."_

_Inori's cheeks darkened, and her eyes widened. "Sensei…?"_

_Kantarou laughed quietly, even blushing himself. "See? Now you have me embarrassed!"_

_Inori leaned forward, leaning her forehead on Kantarou's shoulder. "I love you, too… Kan-chan…"_

_Kantarou put a hand on Inori's back. "I know. I always knew."_

_-----------------_

_Inori's eyes closed as Kantarou's voice flowed around her, weaving protective spells and banishments, trying to loosen the grip the demon had on this world. His voice was calm, but she knew that Kantarou was truly nervous. While he could see things that normal humans could not – she believed him, which had been a huge shock for him – she couldn't see a thing. This was Kantarou's world, something she was completely blind to._

_What she could see was the amount of passion and dedication Kantarou had for his work. How much he wanted to help but humans and demons._

_Gods, she loved him so much._

_Kantarou stopped chanting. He looked up, his eyes widening. He saw something. He whispered something to himself, and then began talking to the air: "You should go back to where you belong. This place isn't safe."_

_There was a pause; Inori was sure that it was replying to his words. Kantarou smiled wryly. "She's under my protection. I won't allow you to harm her without a fight."_

_The tatami on the floor sunk under the weight of some unknown force; Kantarou took up a protective stance, a scroll appearing in his hand from the fold of his sleeve._

"_Inori. Run."_

_Inori stood, eyes widening with fear as whatever was in the room moved closer to Kantarou. The tatami were being shredded by the entity – wherever it stepped, the straw was cut in the pattern of claws, as if it were slashing at them. Kantarou turned towards her. "Run!"_

_Inori broke into a sprint, running from the room. She threw the door open, and felt the resistance of the creature._

_This wasn't 'fun'. This was nothing like the stories she'd read, or listened to as a child. This was terrifying. This… this _thing…_ could kill her at its leisure. And this fact scared her witless._

_She heard a scream. She looked back, and felt her breath catch in her throat. Kantarou was covered in blood – more than she thought could fit in a single person. Kantarou was holding his chest, blood welling out from beneath his fingers. The wound was large and deep, and would obviously scar. "Kantarou!"_

"_RUN!" he ordered, throwing a scroll. It unrolled, and wrapped around something unseen. It began thrashing around. Kantarou was knocked to the ground like a ragdoll, smashing his head against the floor. Inori took a breath, and ran forward. She grabbed Kantarou from under the arms, and began dragging him out the door. "Kantarou, Kantarou, wake up," she begged repeatedly, tears she hadn't even noticed welling up spilling over._

_Kantarou groaned, and his crimson eyes opened. "Inori…?"_

"_Kantarou, we have to run—"_

"_Go. Leave me and go."_

"_No!" she protested, yanking the door open. The scroll was slowly but surely loosening. "I'm not leaving you behind!"_

"_Inori, you promised!" Kantarou replied angrily, sitting up. More blood spilled onto the tatami._

_Inori gulped, and she shook her head. "You'll die!"_

"_Better just me than both of us. Go."_

"_I'd rather die than leave you right now," she whispered, clinging to his sleeve. "You're hurt. You can come back when you're up to it—"_

_Kantarou's eyes widened as the scroll was shred to bits. Inori spun towards the sound, her breath coming in short, fast bursts._

_Her vision went red. Eventually, she realized that it was because she was lying in a pool of blood – whether it was her own or Kantarou's, she couldn't tell, but she knew it was most likely a mixture of both. She held a hand up. It was soaked in the red liquid._

"_Rin… Pyou…"_

_She heard her lover's exhausted attempt of a spell, and knew he would use up the last of his energy to kill this thing. She began whispering the spell with him._

"…_Retsu… Zai… Zen."_

_Inori closed her eyes._

_-----------------_

Kantarou lay a small trinket on a mirror-like tribute. The name of his lover from all those years ago was carved into the reflective black stone, filled with silver. He closed his eyes, leaning against the gravestone. He took a breath, and then let it out slowly.

"It's been a while, Inori," he whispered, quiet. There was complete silence for a few moments. "So… much has happened. I apologize for not coming and visiting your grave… I need to fill you in, don't I…?"

He smiled slightly. "I have a new demon servant. Well, not really 'new' anymore… Her name's Youko. She's a good girl, but extremely stubborn. And then… well, then there's Haruka. I finally found him."

He traced the silver lettering of her name absent-mindedly. "…I… also need to be completely honest with you, Inori. I've… moved on. Life went on. I found my new 'important person'. Someone I want to be with for the rest of my life… who I've been looking for my whole life. You won't be replaced, but… He's my life now. I'll come and visit soon… and I still love you. Inori."


End file.
